Today we find out about Ted vs. Beto and more … then where do we go?

Moved south of Woodrow Road recently and getting to know the neighborhood.

Found a watering hole off County Road 2130, down a narrow, rutted dirt road and around a bend.

Waaaaayyyyy around that bend.

I’ve been hanging out at The South Woodrow Thirsty Boll Saloon & Lounge and have quickly become one of the regulars.

There’s been a lot of jawing around that bend the last few weeks heading into today and I’m not sure election results will change much.

This all started around the end of summer when I stopped in for a single malt scotch on the rocks. TSWTBS&L has a surprising selection of single malts at a place you’d only expect Shiner. I started sipping a Laphroaig when two guys caught my attention a few seats over.

‘Blue wave my butt,’ said a big guy in a Make America Great Again hat.

“Blue wave, my butt,” said a big guy in a Make America Great Again hat.

He was about to make a follow-up point when the guy next to him in a “Bernie Sanders Is My Spirit Animal” t-shirt interrupted.

“Have you seen voter registration and early voting numbers? Your president has ticked off all those people who were stupid enough to vote for him two years ago and we’re going to take back the House, the Senate, governor’s offices – you’re just lucky he’s not on the ballot because we’d get rid of him, too,” said the man, one of the few liberal Democrats around these parts.

The big conservative shot back:

“A lot of those registration numbers and early voting numbers are because Republicans are energized by the way Brett Kavanaugh was treated,” he argued. “And we need to hang on to the gains we made.”

They both looked at me.

“What do you think, Bubba?” asked the man in the MAGA hat.

“My name is not Bubba,” I said.

“It is now,” he said, “I’m in charge of nicknames at this place.”

“OK … I’m Bubba,” I said, adding “we’re going to find out on Nov. 6.”

“Don’t you believe one way or another?” MAGA Man asked.

“Well, I’m conservative, but I was a journalist for years and there’s way too much conjecture in the media these days for my taste. We’ll find out soon enough,” I said.

“You were a what?” the Trump fan asked.

“I was a journalist,” I said.

“You got a new nickname, Bubba,” he said.

I could feel it coming.

‘You’re now Fake News!’ he said with a big smile, laughing.

“You’re now Fake News!” he said with a big smile, laughing.

“Where did you work?” asked the liberal, who was nursing a Lavagulin and now wearing a “Beto Is My Spirit Animal” hat.

I told him I respected his choice in scotch and told him it was the Avalanche-Journal.

“When?” he asked.

“2006-2015,” I said.

“Just don’t tell me you had anything to do with that right-wing editorial page they had then. That was an embarrassment,” he said.

I started laughing and said: “I was the editor.”

There was a pregnant pause … then we all started laughing and ordered another round while teeing up some Buddy Holly covers on the juke box.

James Taylor’s awesome version of “Not Fade Away” started and the discussion continued.

“Maybe it’s years of watching politics in five different states, but we really don’t know what’s going to happen until it happens and in this world of immediate information, we all want answers now. We’ll get them Nov. 6,” I said.

“Then Beto Dude is going to have to pay off,” said MAGA Man.

“Beto Dude?” I said.

“That’s his nickname,” said MAGA Man, adding, “it used to be Bubba.”

“What’s the bet?” I asked.

“If Cruz wins, he has to wear my MAGA hat for a week and put a sign in his front lawn that says: ‘I was wrong about our great Senator Cruz and President Trump.’”

‘I might move to California,’ said Beto Dude.

“I might move to California,” said Beto Dude.

They got back into it, I finished my second scotch and called Uber for a ride home, feeling the scotch a bit too much.

We’ll all find out soon enough.

But where do we go from there?

Terry Greenberg

Terry Greenberg is editor and business manager of Lubbock Lights. He worked in the newspaper industry for almost 40 years, 33 of those as editor of eight newspapers in five states. He was editor of the Avalanche-Journal from 2006-2015. He now runs his own media company, Greenberg Media Management. He is a native of Los Angeles and loves living in Lubbock, Texas.